What would make a good pet for my children?

Question

I have 3 children, they are B 7,B 6, & G 5. Their father and I were discussing gift ideas and we were thinking of maybe a turtle or a frog. Definatley no snakes...not on my watch anyway!! If you have any other ideas or some information you feel I should know before getting my children a pet I would appreciate it. Thanks!

Answer 1

You should probably get a pet with a low level of care. Gerbils are very good for this, as they are very small and require very little attention. You have to have more than one, because they are very social and will become depressed if they are alone. They grow to be about 4 inches long at most, and are very quiet - no loud squeaks or anything. Gerbils DO NOT BITE. I have have two gerbil for over a year and have never been bitten. They are nocturnal and will scamper around their cage at night. They need a bath of chinchilla dust once a week to keep their coats healthy and they also need a wheel to run on. If possible, get a plastic wheel because the metal ones squeak and need to be oiled often. A good size tank is an aquarium size one. If you have three kids, you could get three gerbils and each kid could have their own, but they would all be in the same cage, and they would all have to be the same gender. If they aren't you will have babies like crazy! Also, females will fight so males are better to have as they are calmer. You must be careful never to drop them or pull their tails too much, and NEVER let them loose in the house. They will run away. You could get a little pen to put them when you take them out of their cage that they cannot climb over. Also, you could get a ball for them to roll around in. They make very cute and easy pets.

Birds like parakeets are also a very good choice. They also require little attention and, like gerbils, they will be okay if you leave them on their own for a day or two. If it gets out if its cage, it will just fly back. A parakeet does not need a very big cage. In its cage you will need to put maybe one or two small mirrors that they can look into because if you do not they will get lonely (the bird in the mirror is their friend). They always need fresh food and water, but you do not need to change it every day. You will need to put a sheet of paper that completely covers the bottom of their cage in it and cover it with gravel. You can buy bird gravel at grocery stores and pet stores. This needs to be changed every three or four days. Most parakeets are not nocturnal. You should cover their cage with a thin baby blanket at night so they can sleep.

Although dogs are very nice, the kids cannot care for them very well, or they will forget, and you will end up doing most of the work. Turtles and frogs need fresh water in their cage or they will get sick, so you will have to dump out the whole cage every week. Rabbits may seem easy to handle but they actually require a lot of care. Hamsters, guenie pigs, and rabbits are all very smelly, and you need to change their shavings often.

Make sure you find out about the pet care before you buy a pet. Good luck!

Answer 2

I would say definately no to the turtle and the frog. Turtles carry salmanila, a very nasty bacteria, so you have to wash your hands every time you handle them. With young children that like to play with everything, and then put their hands in there mouth this is very dangerous as they'll probably do this atleast once with a turtle, and then they will become very sick. A frog is also a bad idea as it probably won't last more than a week with small children. Frogs are slippery and easily killed if they jump around and could get squished by your kids or hurt itself. I would say look at getting a nice small dog, not a puppy, you already have three kids I dout you want four. A good option for you would probably be looking into adopting a nice, slightly older house trained dog that is good with kids. Dogs are very hardy, and great companions. I own two dogs, and both are so wonderful with small children. Make sure to do breed research though before selecting your dog, as some breeds are very bad with children, like terriers and chiuauas. Good luck christmas shopping for your new pet!
I don't think any kind of rodent would be good at the young age of your children, and birds are bad childrens pets. Your kids will probably want something that they can play with, and dogs don't really require as much care as many people are saying they are. Feed and water 2x daily, and take in for shots once a year. As long as you have a yard and not too big a dog that'll need to be walked constantly a dog will be a perfect pet.
Good luck!

Answer 3

I just wanna say squirells and llamas and parrots are HORRIBLE pets for children the parrot will live as long as you do and squak all the time. The llama has to have a hered and enough room to roam. The squirell is a high maintece pet.

I would sugget a guinea pig there easy cute and friendly. If you get a turtle it would live about 20 years a frog you really cant take out but you can look at them. I would suggest either a guinea pig or a fancy rat. Rats are good with kids but never feed them through the cage bars and leave it alone the first few days so it gets used to the surroundings.

Answer 4

They are still quite young. I think a family fish tank would be nice. If that is not an option then a cat. They require less care and exercise than a dog, generally come house trained and they can be left easily if you need to go out.

Answer 5

If your kids are not allergic...Dogs are the best animals...as they love attention from humans.

Don't get a toy sized animal like Mini poodle, Chiahuaua, etc... they can get smashed if kids happen to fall on them.

Usually, a Lab, Golden Retrievers or Beagle are good dogs. Stay away from Pit Bulls and German Shepherds..they are unpredictable.

Answer 6

Reptiles are out of the question for kids as they carry salmonella.
Mice make good pets and are fun to watch as are gerbils, but
both bite. Fish are also easy to care for and don't bite, they can be soothing to watch swimming. Given the ages of your kids
they will need much supervision when it comes to a pet, you might want to wait till they're older.

Answer 7

To me, personally I would very much prefer a Golden Retriever for children. The reason is Golden Retriever truly has a golden heart, and has no problem of getting along so well with kids (even as small as babies). :-)

The dog can train the boys to take care of it, such as to talk turns to walk the dog, a good exercise for the dog & the boys too. :-)

Answer 8

Rabbit

Answer 9

I like rodents like gerbils, rabbits, guinea pigs, or hamsters. I would suggest gerbils because they are very friendly and rarely bite. just make sure if you get 3 males, because 3 females would fight. Or just put them in separate cages (the boys might want males) and your little girl could get a girl in a separate cage. Just make sure they don't put them together or they will breed prolifically. I hope your children like the animal(s) they will get!
Happy Holidays! :0)

Answer 10

How abt rabbits? Big enough to carry, very easy to care for. Extremely gentle, and yr kids will have a fun time running after the hopping bunnies and feeding them off-cuts vegetables for your salad.